


Today has been Okay

by Rays



Series: Destiny Verse [4]
Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Character Death, Episode: s03e05 A Life in the Day, F/M, M/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 08:11:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14039949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rays/pseuds/Rays
Summary: Arielle didn’t think life could get much better than this. She wondered if Ember really was the mischievous god that he was rumored to be because her life had been almost too perfect and it felt like it was time for the other shoe to drop.One way Arielle might have left the picture.*Fits into Destiny is Bullshit timeline*





	Today has been Okay

**Author's Note:**

> So this was something that I was planning to write later but it came to me today so here it is! This is basically my take on what the relationship between Arielle/Quentin/Eliot might have been and how they lost her. This is how I think of their Fillory life for my story Destiny is Bullshit. I actually have a few little one-shots to tell their Fillory life story, this is just one. Just my take. The title is from the song "Today has been Okay" by Emiliana Torrini. Enjoy!

Arielle came from a large family that she was smack in the middle of. A lot of older brothers who were better suited to run their family’s peach and plum farm one day. A lot of younger sisters who were prettier and more graceful than she was. They would receive much better offers for marriage than she ever would. She had Lunk, the man who her family hired as a helper for their farm. They thought of her dating him as this silly thing that of course, the oddball of the family would do. She found him one day underneath a plum tree with a girl from a competing farm. She didn’t know if she was more betrayed by the cheating or the fact that it was with someone trying to put her family out of business. Either way, Lunk was gone and her family all paid up on bets they had long ago made on the longevity of their relationship. She was pretty sure her brother, Dent, had won big. Arielle didn’t let it bother her though. She was a rolling stone, she always bounced back. She had also had her eye on someone else anyway.

A few years ago, two strangely dressed travelers had arrived to try and solve the mosaic. She had long heard the story of what the mosaic was. It always sounded like a trick to her. Step up and solve the puzzle to win a special prize. Just show the beauty of all life and greater magic will be yours. She never knew how anyone was supposed to show the beauty of life without just living it. She was charmed by them anyway and their determination to actually finish it. She quickly decided that out of the dozen or so people she had seen come and go to try it, they might actually solve it.

While she befriended them both, it was Quentin who ended up stealing her heart. He was awkward and sweetly clumsy. Which was the complete opposite of Lunk. He was goofy and could get her to laugh even when she felt like she’d cry forever. He listened with genuine interest to her problems and to the things that brought her happiness. He also told her amazing stories of another world he claimed he and his companion, Eliot, came from. She wasn’t sure if she really believed the two men were from another world but they definitely weren’t from around here. Their clothes had been strange when they first arrived. She had never seen material like that before. The slang they used sounded odd to her, though they quickly adapted to that. When they spoke to each other it sometimes sounded like a different language.

She fell in love with Quentin fast. Faster than she had with Lunk even. But Quentin was a package deal and she knew that. Quentin never tried to claim there wasn’t something between him and Eliot and she respected that. She knew from the first time she had met them that there was more than mere companionship between them. She was with Lunk at the time so she never found it her business to pry. She found them sweet though and learned from knowing them that they refused to put a label on their relationship. She wondered if they considered love to be a label. Whatever they were, when she realized she was in love with Quentin, she ended up going to Eliot first to ask him if she would be allowed into their home. She respected his place in Quentin’s heart and only wanted what was best for both of them. It might have seemed strange to others, it was to Eliot. Lunk had cheated on her but she was not opposed to sharing someone. Lunk had gone behind her back, Quentin wore his heart on his sleeve and never lied to her. Eliot only wanted Quentin to be happy and she did too.

She ended up in love with both of them. The love between her and Eliot was different but just as deep. Their connection was based on their shared love of Quentin and Eliot loved him so purely that it made Arielle grow as a person to witness their love. They were all happy and when she became pregnant it only felt fitting for them all three to be this baby’s parents. One complete family. She loved motherhood more than she was expecting. She spent most of her life being the weird one in her family that was mostly forgotten about, but her son opened her to more love than she thought possible.

Quentin had taken to fatherhood naturally as well. His awkward clumsiness seemed to melt away if he was holding his son. He sang to him as well, someone named Taylor Swift that would get an eye roll from Eliot but delighted her and the baby. He read him stories, the ones from his childhood that he had once rewritten. They even named him after one of those characters, Rupert. He was confident when it came to Rupert, in ways Quentin was never confident with himself.

Eliot had told them over and over that he was going to be a terrible father. He even almost left them, claiming it would be for their own good, but Quentin convinced him to stay. He seemed scared of the baby at first. Only holding him when Quentin would force him too. When Rupert was two months old he developed a fever that would not break. Arielle and Quentin were close to losing their minds from worry and lack of sleep and they started to be no help to their son. Eliot stepped in then. He ordered the tired parents to bed and then stayed up all night to tend to the sick baby. By morning Rupert’s fever had broke and Eliot had even got the first laugh out of him. From then on, they were almost inseparable.

Now it was four years later and Arielle had her boys and her happy life at the strange mosaic. Her family was even happy for her. They had been worried at first with her choices but producing a grandchild had calmed at least her parent's worry. Arielle didn’t think life could get much better than this. She wondered if Ember really was the mischievous god that he was rumored to be because her life had been almost too perfect and it felt like it was time for the other shoe to drop.

It had started as a cough, not even a bad one at that. She got winded fast as she tried to carry her peach basket. Eliot took over for her the next day and Quentin ordered her to bed and made her soup. Her nose started to run after that. She was a gooey, snotty mess but Quentin told her she was beautiful and never left her side. Eliot stayed with Rupert outside to make sure he wouldn’t get sick. Her head was pounding next. She could barely open her eyes without sharp pains shooting through her skull. Quentin made her potions and did spells to help her but not much would help. Her chest felt heavy and it was starting to get hard for her to breath. Quentin was falling apart and she knew in her heart that she was dying.

She woke up one morning and her head didn’t hurt and her fever had broken. She could sit up by herself and was able to keep her soup down. Rupert finally came running in and jumped into bed with her. She finally got to hold her son again. She held him tight and took in every feature of him, burning that face into her soul. He babbled to her about how much fun camping with Eliot had been and when she was better he wanted to camp with her. She felt the tears roll down her cheeks and she held him close.

“When was the last time someone went to the village for supplies?” Arielle asked once Rupert had run off to play with his toys.

“Uh..” Quentin closed his eyes as he thought back. “It was more than two weeks ago, right before you first got sick.”

“Sounds like you should go.” She said with a smile. “You need to get out of this house almost more than I do.” Quentin looked uneasy.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Quentin,” She said reaching out to cup his cheek. “Go out there and get some sun on your pale face and then come back and tell me how wonderful it felt.” He smiled at her and kissed her.

“I will come back with a full report.” She giggled and kissed him, just a little deeper.

“I love you so much, Quentin.” She whispered as she held him close.

“I love you too.” He told her. He pulled back and ran his hand thru her hair lovingly. “I’ll bring you back some cherries, the good ones from that place I promise.” She nodded with a smile as he got up and looked around for his shoes.

“You should take Rupert with you.” She suggested. “I’m sure he’s missed spending time with you and I bet Eliot would like a break.” Eliot looked over his shoulder from where he was making himself something to eat across the cabin.

“I wouldn’t say break because that sounds kinda mean, but I wouldn’t protest at the same time,” he told them. Quentin opened the door to where Rupert was playing outside.

“Hey buddy, want to go on a run to the village with your old man?” He asked.

“Yeah!” Rupert jumped up and threw his arms around Quentin’s waist. Quentin laughed and kissed the top of his son’s head.

“Great, go give your mom a hug.” He instructed and then turned to Eliot who wrapped Quentin into a hug. Rupert ran to his mother's side again and hugged her goodbye.

“Bye Mama,” He said sweetly. Arielle hugged him tightly and breathed in his sent.

“Goodbye, my sweet boy.” She said. She pulled back and looked into his face that looked so much like his father. “Promise me to always be a good boy for your dads.”

“I promise,” Rupert said. His naivety didn’t make him question what she had to say and she was heartbroken that he would never be this innocent again.

“And I want you to always remember how much I love you and how wonderful you made my life. And that no matter where you are, I will be in your heart loving you for all time.” He nodded and she pulled him close one more time.

“I love you too Mama.” He said. “For all time too.” She closed her eyes to fight off the tears that filled her eyes. She knew she that if she did only one good thing in this life it was this boy.

“Ok,” She pulled back and put on a big smile. “Go say bye to Eliot and then have a good time with your dad.” He took off running to Eliot who was still locked in an embrace with Quentin. Rupert tackled both of them and all three laughed. Arielle smiled at them, she knew they would be ok.

“We’ll be back soon,” Quentin said coming over to give her a quick kiss. “I love you.”

“I know.” She said. Quentin face lit up at the reference to the story he’d told her about the war in the stars. He kissed her again and she winked at him. Laughing he grabbed Rupert and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and headed out the door. Rupert was laughing as Eliot kissed them both goodbye and shut the door behind them. Arielle closed her eyes and listened to the sound of her son’s laughter and Quentin’s terrible singing as it got further and further away.

“Ari?” She opened her eyes to find Eliot sitting next to her. “Are you ok?” She quickly wiped her tears away.

“Yeah,” She said smiling. “It just felt good to see everyone so happy.”

“Yeah, it did,” Eliot said with a smile. “Do you want anything?”

“Tea would be nice.” She said. Eliot nodded and got up to start the tea. She looked out the window and tried to see if she could see Quentin and Rupert anymore. She wondered how far they would be by the time the tea was ready.

“Have some with me.” She called out to Eliot once the water was ready. He got out another cup and then came over to her.

“Tea party?” He asked with a smirk.

“Tea party.” She agreed. Eliot was the person Arielle could gossip with. He always wanted to hear about the people she delivered fruit too. She filled him in on any drama that was happening between the farms that circled the miles around the mosaic. They would debate over who was sleeping with who and who had the weirdest fetish. Quentin always felt bad guessing about other people’s lives. So the two of them would call tea party so Quentin and his good little heart would know they needed to talk.

“You’re looking lovely,” Eliot said. “This whole sick in bed look is very becoming.” Arielle giggled and poked his side with her toe.

“You’re too kind.” She said and he kissed her hand.

“Seriously Ari,” He said keeping a hold on her hand. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m not in any pain.” She said.

“That’s good!” Eliot smiled. She didn’t say anything, just looked him right in the eye with a sad smile. “That’s good, right?” She squeezed his hand, not able to speak. “Ari, no pain is good right?” She watched it slowly dawned on him that she was not counting this as good.

“Eliot, you need to take care of them.” She told him.

“Whoa,” Eliot stood up and backed away from her like she had shocked him. He held up his hands and his face had gone pale. “You are not saying that because you are better. You aren’t...you’re better!” He exclaimed his hands running nervously through his hair.

“Eliot,” He shook his head and glared at her.

“You’re not saying that to me because you’re fine.” He insisted. “Because why else would you send Q away? Are you telling me you would do this to him? Just die while he thinks you’re fine.” He backed a few more steps away.

“Eliot sit down.” She said patiently.

“No, I will not let you do that to him,” He practically sobbed. “You’re not going to die and leave him like that. You’re not going to leave us, you’re not..” he brought a hand up to his mouth as he started to understand she really was saying goodbye. “Why?”

“Eliot,” She said again. “Just come here.” He finally came over and sat in the chair next to her bed. She took his hand and gently wiped the tears that had started to fall. “I don’t know why, but I can feel it. I’m not going to be able to stay awake much longer.” Her breaths started to come out a little slower and she was feeling tired.

“Did you know when you told Q to go?” Eliot asked. She smiled and it made her feel good that Quentin’s feelings were in the front of Eliot’s mind.

"I did,” She confessed with a smile. “It could be seen as selfish I guess, I can admit that. But I couldn’t have him here. I couldn't leave him like that. I needed him to be happy for just a few more hours. To be with Rupert and for them to have one more afternoon before it changes.” Eliot dropped his head to his hands and started to cry.

“Goddamnit,” He said.

“Please understand.” She said placing her hand on the top of his head. “I need you to understand so you can help him. He needs you and you need to be strong.” Eliot lifted his face, his eyes red and tears streaming down his face. Arielle’s hand dropped to his cheek and he leaned into her touch.

“He needs you too,” he said. “All three of us do.”

“I need you guys too,” She assured him. “I’m not giving up, that’s not what this is. It’s just time Eliot, it’s not anything there is a choice about.” He nodded as he wiped his tears with his hand. “Don’t let him think that he could have saved me.” Eliot actually laughed sadly at that.

“You think there is going to be a way to have him not think that?” he asked.

“Fair point,” Arielle smiled. “Just make sure it doesn’t consume him.” Eliot nodded.

“You know I will.”

“I do know,” Arielle said running her hand through Eliot’s dark hair. “I feel so lucky that I got to know you two. That I got to experience this kind of love and family we have.” Eliot leaned over and kissed her, putting his hand on her cheek. It was a deeper kiss than they usually shared outside of the bedroom, but it was what they needed to express right then.

“You made us better people Ari,” Eliot told her resting his forehead against her.

“No,” She said. “Totally the other way around." Eliot smiled and pulled back.

“You really want to fight me on this?” She was so thankful for him to bring humor into the situation she fell in love with him all over again. She laughed, which turned into a little coughing and she waved off his worried look.

“I’ll take your word for it for right now.” She said. He nodded and then he started to cry again.

“Come here.” She pat the side of the bed and Eliot climbed in pulled her small body into his.

“You know he may never forgive you for sending him away,” Eliot told her, his voice thick.

“I know.” She said. “He doesn’t have too if it makes him feel better. I figured he’d be angry at me dying whether he was here or not.” Eliot nodded and was quiet for a minute.

 “I may never forgive you for making me be here for this.” He said quietly. Arielle looked up into his face and saw the pain in his eyes.

“I know.” She said. She hugged him, calmed by the sound of his beating heart. “As long as you take care of Quentin, you can curse my name until you’re blue in the face.” He hugged her back and buried his face in her hair.

“He’ll be ok,” Eliot assured her as he pulled back.

“Don’t let him break.” She said tears falling from her eyes now. Eliot wiped her tears away and smiled.

“Ari, we both know that boy is already pretty broken.” Arielle smiled.

“Our poor boy.” She said and Eliot nodded.

“Our poor boy.” She laid her head on his shoulder, it was getting harder to stay awake now.

“Rupert, make sure he remembers me.” She said. “I know he’s little and I can barely remember things from when I was four.” Eliot pulled her close.

“Don’t think for a second that Q and I would ever let Rupert forget you ok.” He said. Arielle closed her eyes, tears flowing freely now. “He could never forget you, you’re his mom, he will love you for the rest of his life.” Arielle nodded and she clung to Eliot now.

“I hate leaving him more than anything.” She sobbed.

“I know,” Eliot said kissing her head. “I know, it’s ok.” He rocked her as she cried in his arms for what felt like forever. They laid together after that in silence for a while.

Arielle looked over at Eliot. He was staring up at the ceiling and he looked more handsome than ever. She found him to be almost regal. She knew the stories Quentin told her about them being from the future and he and Eliot were Kings of Fillory and Eliot was the High King. She thought they were just more of his stories mostly because it seemed so strange to her. But right now, the light shining on his face, Arielle could see High King Eliot, the Spectacular.

“You really are a King.” She whispered. Eliot turned to look at her and when he did, he realized she was gone.

Eliot sat at her bedside for hours, just waiting. He listened until he heard the sound of Quentin’s voice and then he stood. He looked down at Arielle. She looked like he was sleeping and he would give anything if that were true. He straightened out her hair one last time then leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“It’s ok,” he whispered. “Q’s gonna be fine. I got this.” He turned away then and walked out the door. He collapsed against the closed door and slowly sank down. He took a few deep breaths and waited as he watched Quentin and Rupert walked up the path. It was time for them to start their new life.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
